


Life in the Shadows

by Beatles_and_Bellarke



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 11:05:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19375453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beatles_and_Bellarke/pseuds/Beatles_and_Bellarke
Summary: Rayne finds herself having to face her worst nightmare, an old friend of hers changes and not for the better and she finds love on the road to freedom.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Everyone!! This is my first original Story. I'm not sure how often this will be updated or changed because it's a WIP but these are completely my own characters. I know I've shown some of you the story so hopefully those who have already read it can leave comments!! And for any new readers, Welcome!!

His eyes were so cold, nearly blank as he stared at her. A humorless chuckle escaped his lips.

 

“You have no idea who I am, do you?” She took a second longer than she should have before he leaped toward her, lythe as a cat. That flexibility, the glint in his dark eyes. They all seemed familiar. But they couldn’t be. Unless...

 

“Lydan?” His laugh was shrill. It awoke memories that were buried from a different life, long ago. 

 

“You figured it out.” He bent down to her level.  “You always were a clever girl, Rayne. I admired that about you.” 

 

“Lydan, what happened to you? We were friends at one time. Best Friends! I-I loved you. I still love you.” Her words sounded watery in her head. Unshed sobs coated her throat. 

 

“Save your breath.” He snarled. “It’s too late. Look at you. You’re in  _ my _ dungeon, chained to the wall. I can’t believe I ever trusted you.” With one last look of dangerous anger, he swept from the dank cells. 

  
  


It must have been days but to Rayne, sitting in that cold, drab cell it was an eternity. She dozed multiple times, trying her best to save her strength.  

 

When the third day broke, the clank of metal aroused Rayne from sleep. Her stomach churned at the smell of eggs. Lydan came down the stairs with two guards carrying a tray. The cell was already small but with three more full-grown men standing above her, she felt miniscule.  

  
  


“Ah, you’re alive.” His unkind smile chilled Rayne to her core.

 

“Don’t sound so disappointed,” Rayne shot back. “I might think you don’t like me.” 

 

“I’ve always liked you. Why else would I have come in the dead of night and swept you away?”  He set the tray on the mortar floor and took a strand of her black hair in his palm. She shuddered at his touch but made no other sounds. 

 

“Once you finish eating we will talk.” As he stepped out of the cell, the guards unlocked her hand cuffs. Rubbing her injured wrists, Rayne ate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayne doesn't understand Lydan's motives and even less once he invites her to the castle

While her main concern was how hungry she felt, she couldn’t help ruminating on those last words. What was there to talk about? She definitely didn’t want to discuss Lydan’s fall from grace at length. 

But curiousity got the better of her so she informed the guards that she was done eating. The guards delivered a fresh gown for her and they escorted her to the throne room. The light blinded Rayne. She could barely see her former friend sitting atop his perch, leering at her.

“Ah I see you’ve come to join us at last.” He motioned for the guards to release her and for her to come sit with him.

“Would you like some tea?” He offered in feigning graciousness.

“No thank you.” She declined, smiling sweetly as her next inquiry was meant to cut. “Why exactly did you bring me here?”

“Isn’t it obvious, love?” He smiled at her disgusted grimace for his term of endearment. “I want you to have a moment of luxury before I decide to kill you. You can stay up here with me and live out your days as the queen you were always meant to be. You can bear my children and kiss me goodnight every night. We will exchange ‘I love yous’ and love each other until death do us part. Or…” And he stopped, giving her a sideways glance.

“Or What? I’ll live out my days in the dungeons, a slave to your every deed?” She asked, sarcasm punctuating every word.

“Oh goodness no. That would be much too rewarding for you. I will simply execute your loved ones and then you’ll have no choice but to stay with me because you won’t have anyone else in the world.” 

His grin made Rayne sick to her stomach.  This boy, barely a man, used to be her best friend. So he knew exactly who he could harm to make her hurt most.  She thought of her sisters, Mel and Nia; so young and carefree. She saw her mother with brown hair tied back in a tired bun as she baked the morning bread. 

 

But lastly and possibly most painfully, Rayne saw her father. His strength kept her going in the dark dungeons these last few days.  Her fists unknowingly balled up, giving away her thoughts. Lydan knew he had her all to him now, a look of triumph evident on his face. 

“So, Rayne. What will it be?” He watched her, hungrily.  Her mind began to race. She wasn’t going to give in. She was going to make it home.  In a moment of swift decision she brought her heel down on Lydan’s toe. He howled in pain and rage. In his moment of temporary distraction, Rayne dashed for the door.

“Wrong choice, girl.” He spat, quick to overpower her.  He turned to the guards and barked orders that turned her blood to ice.

“Find every member of Rayne Manet’s family and bring them to me.” Then directly to her as she was being led away in ropes, “We will see how rebellious you are when they’re on trial.”

Surprisingly, the guards didn’t take her to the dungeons like she thought they would.  But where she ended up was so much worse. The bedroom was huge. In any other circumstances, Rayne would have been impressed. But being left alone in the bedchambers of a prince bent on doing unspeakable things to her was not ideal. 

 

The guards untied her once they stepped into the room so Rayne could observe her surroundings freely. She knew she only had a few moments before Lydan came upstairs so she had to hide. A cursory glance around the room gave way to no visible crevices she could fit in. Even under the bed was too small.  

 

She saw at her left a large window leading onto the roof. While it was not the most pleasurable option considering how many stairs she was unceremoniously dragged up to be dumped here, however she couldn’t see a lot of other alternatives. 

 

So she had no choice but to either jump out the window to her death or resign to a life of misery. She chose the former. Rayne stepped onto the roof carefully. It actually wasn’t that high; maybe 5 feet off the ground. She stood debating just a little too long. When Rayne heard the door open, she knew she had to take the leap. 

 

Clamping her mouth shut as she fell, she wasn’t focused on the landing. Before she knew it, Rayne was on the ground. Thankfully she was alive but in pain. Pushing through the fog with an expletive under her breath, Rayne staggered toward the woods behind the castle. 


End file.
